Recommended Marketing Tools for Small Business
If you are a small business owner trying to grow without wasting money on random software, you are in the right place. This page lists the recommended marketing tools for small business that we trust and use inside real consulting projects at J Browning Studio.
These tools help you build a simple system that supports your website, local SEO, lead generation, and follow up automation. If you want help choosing the right stack for your business, you can schedule a strategy session. If you are more DIY, you can use these recommendations as a smart starting point.
Why These Recommended Marketing Tools Work for Small Business
Small businesses usually do not lose because they lack effort. They lose because their marketing stack is messy. The website is slow. Leads go to a form inbox and never get followed up. Reviews are inconsistent. SEO is a guessing game. Social content is hard to produce.
These recommended marketing tools for small business are here to solve that. They support the basics that create growth.
- Visibility: show up on Google and get found by the right people
- Conversion: turn traffic into calls, forms, and booked appointments
- Follow up: respond fast, nurture leads, and stop losing opportunities
- Consistency: create repeatable marketing instead of starting over every month
Quick Note Before You Click
These are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, J Browning Studio may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only share tools we believe are worth it for small business marketing and that fit a practical, consulting-led strategy.
Recommended Marketing Tools by Category
Tip. If you are not sure where to start, start with the categories in this order.
- Website foundation: hosting, speed, backups
- Visibility: SEO tools
- Lead capture: forms and conversion tools
- Follow up: CRM and automation
- Brand execution: design tools and templates
Website Hosting and Performance Tools
Your website is the hub of your marketing. If hosting is weak, everything feels harder. A fast, stable site helps SEO, improves conversions, and reduces support headaches.
WP Engine Hosting
Best for: established small businesses that want premium speed, security, and support.
WP Engine is managed WordPress hosting built for performance. If your website is central to your lead generation, this is one of the safest upgrades you can make. It reduces downtime risk and usually improves site speed when paired with a clean setup.
Best for: new businesses that need an affordable way to launch.
Bluehost is a common entry point for small business websites. It is simple, low cost, and works fine for early stage sites. If you outgrow it, you can move up later. The key is starting with something stable, then improving as results grow.
Best for: budget minded owners who still want reliable basics.
Dreamhost is the most affordable way to get all the basics for your WordPress website — perfect if you’re new to WordPress. With Dreamhost, you’ll get a free domain name, unlimited traffic, and a free SSL certificate. You’ll also access Dreamhost’s one-click WordPress installer or site migration button, making setting up your new website easy. And if you ever need help, Dreamhost’s customer support is very responsive and always available.
So if you’re looking for an affordable way to get started with WordPress, Dreamhost is the perfect option.Â
SEO Tools for Small Business
SEO is one of the best long term plays for small businesses because it keeps working after the initial effort. The right tools help you choose keywords, improve on-page SEO, and understand what competitors are doing.
Rank Math Pro
Best for: small businesses using WordPress that want stronger on-page SEO and schema control.
Rank Math Pro helps you improve the SEO structure of your website. It supports page level optimization, schema settings, and technical SEO features that are hard to manage without a dedicated tool. If you are serious about ranking locally, this is a strong upgrade.
SEMRUSH
Best for: keyword research, competitor tracking, and SEO planning.
SEMrush helps you see what is already working in your market. You can research keywords, audit your website, and spot competitor opportunities. If you want a clearer SEO plan and better content decisions, this is one of the most useful platforms.
Lead Capture and Conversion Tools
Small businesses lose leads when the form setup is weak. A good form tool improves conversions and makes it easier to route leads into your CRM.
Gravity Forms
Best for: serious lead capture on WordPress sites.
Gravity Forms is a flexible form builder that works well for lead generation, quote requests, and multi-step forms. It is especially useful when you need conditional logic, integrations, or a more polished experience than basic form plugins.
Backup and Site Protection Tools
A website problem is not just a tech issue. It is a sales issue. Backups protect your business from plugin conflicts, updates gone wrong, and hosting problems.
UpdraftPlus
Best for: automated backups with easy restore options.
UpdraftPlus makes it easier to protect your WordPress website with scheduled backups. You can store backups in the cloud and restore quickly if something breaks. Every small business website should have automated backups running.
Design and Content Tools for Small Business
Marketing is easier when you can create clean visuals quickly. These tools help you produce content without waiting on a designer for every small change.
Canva
Best for: social media graphics, presentations, lead magnets, and quick brand assets.
Canva is one of the best recommended marketing tools for small business owners who want speed and consistency. You can create social content, flyers, simple ads, and branded graphics using templates. It helps you stay visible without getting stuck.
CRM and Marketing Automation Tools
Most small businesses do not need more leads. They need better follow up. A CRM and automation platform helps you respond fast, track opportunities, and build a simple nurture system.
Go High Level
Best for: small business lead follow up, automation, and marketing systems.
Go High Level combines CRM, email marketing, SMS follow up, scheduling, pipelines, and landing pages in one platform. It is a strong choice if you want fewer tools, better tracking, and a system you can build on over time.
If you want to stop losing leads and start running consistent follow up, this is worth a serious look.
WordPress Theme Builder Tools
If you are building or maintaining your WordPress website yourself, these tools can help you create pages faster without custom code. For consulting clients, we treat these as execution tools. The strategy still comes first.
Divi Theme Builder
Best for: Divi users who want a powerful builder with reusable templates.
Divi is widely used and can be a great option when you want a builder that is easy to learn and quick to deploy. It also supports a strong template system for landing pages and service pages.
Checkout out our Divi DC Meetup.
Elementor Theme Builder
Best for: flexible visual building and layout control.
Elementor is a popular builder that gives you strong design control. It can be a good fit if you want a modern visual editor and the ability to customize templates across your site.
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, J Browning Studio may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend tools we believe are valuable for small business marketing and that fit our consulting approach.
Need Help Choosing the Right Tools?
If you want a clear plan for your website, SEO, lead generation, and follow up automation, book a strategy session. We will map your marketing system and recommend the right tools for your stage of growth.
FAQ: Recommended Marketing Tools for Small Business
Do I need all of these tools to market my business?
No. Most small businesses only need a few tools that work well together. The goal is a simple stack that supports visibility, lead capture, and follow up.
What is the best marketing tool to start with?
Start with a stable website foundation and a way to follow up with leads. That usually means good hosting and a CRM. After that, add SEO tools and a simple design tool.
Are these tools only for WordPress websites?
Some are WordPress specific, like Rank Math, Gravity Forms, and UpdraftPlus. Others are useful for any small business, like Canva, SEMrush, and Go High Level.
Can you help me choose the right marketing stack?
Yes. If you want help selecting the right tools and building a plan that fits your business goals, schedule a strategy session. We will simplify your choices and map your next steps.